Masquerade
by Miara Rigawa
Summary: Picks up from chapter 53, the moment Zero and Yuuki met at the vampire ball. A compelling, moving, heart-wrenching, sad story about these two star-crossed lovers' faithful reunion. -ongoing-
1. Her Thoughts of Him

A/N: This is a new idea I had ever since Chapter 53 came out. Yes, I know I should be working on OMT instead but this plot bunny was annoyingly persistent. =) Hope everybody enjoys the angst though.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight's characters or background plot. I only intend to use them for the fandom's enjoyment.

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**Chapter 1**

**_Her Thoughts of Him_**

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"Why are you making me wear these gloves?" Yuuki questioned Kaname as she watched him carefully tying the lace of her gloves around her wrist.

"It's going to keep you warm. It's chilly tonight, you know." Kaname answered matter-of-factly, a small smile placed comfortably on his lips. "Besides..." He took Yuuki's bare right hand and kissed and gently, red eyes focused solely on Yuuki's reddish brown ones. "I wouldn't want random vampires kissing and touching my precious girl like this." His smile stayed on his lips, a hint of playfulness and a dash of possessiveness evident on his eyes. "Think of it as my way of protecting you from _those people_... You already know how your scent entices vampires right? What more for your touch? I'm sure it will cause some people to be tempted." He didn't let go of Yuuki's hand but instead he brought it once more to his lips, this time grazing it to feel his fangs. The pressure wasn't enough to draw blood but the sensation of Kaname's fangs on her skin was sensual and heart-stopping.

Yuuki blushed brightly at Kaname's comment, her hand slightly shivering from his gesture. She knew he was doing that to teach her to be careful and alert around other vampires but the effect was exactly the opposite with him. Her senses seemed to be concentrated on her hand and instead of feeling fear, she was excited--almost wanting him to continue.

"Seems like I'm not doing the correct effect though." He snapped her out of the trance she was currently in and continued to dress her right hand with a white laced glove.

"Sorry..." She mumbled, feeling the heat on her cheeks double. "I promise I'll be careful not to touch anyone unless necessary."

"If that effect's exclusively reserved for me, you don't have to be sorry." He flashed a reassuring smile at her before kissing her forehead briefly and then taking her hand to lead her towards the door.

It was time to face the music.

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It was exactly how Yuuki had imagined the ball. The scent of vampires and their haunting auras filled the whole room. The room was brightly lit by large, antique chandeliers and music lightly floated across the room from an orchestrated band. Men and women clad in sophisticated dresses, gowns and tuxedos filled the room, all of them had their attention solely focused on them—her in particular.

She didn't like the way they stared at her. A lot of them stared at her as if she was a thing in display, a rare piece of art that was meant to be revered. Some looked at her as if she was food, something that would quench the thirst that they currently felt. She squared her shoulders and didn't look down, trying to evoke the same air of authority and royalty Kaname so easily exuded. She was very nervous but she grasped a hold of her emotions, keeping her eyes directed forward to nothing in particular. She didn't want to be there at all.

Kaname bent his head to Yuuki's ear level and whispered, "Relax. You're doing really great. It will be over soon."

Just what she needed to hear. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, the heat of Kaname's breath still lingering on her right ear. She gave the tiniest squeeze on her partner's hand to express her thanks. _'Thanks, Kaname-oniisama.'_

Out of the blue, she felt a familiar gaze on her. Even without looking, she already had an idea who it was. Instinctively, her eyes scanned the crowd once and searched for the said person. There he was in the middle of the crowd, looking at her just like everybody else. His stare though was nowhere the same as the others' gaze. Those familiar sharp amethyst eyes focused on her coldly, void of emotions that show familiarity yet to Yuuki he looked like someone trying to hide a complicated mixture of emotions. Knowing Zero for years, she knew that Zero often hid things and kept things to himself. It was his own way of putting up a barrier around himself. Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears. If only it was easy for her to go up to him and greet him with a smile. He was a person very familiar and dear to her but his eyes reflected nothing of the years they had spent together. She felt as if they were more unacquainted than strangers meeting for the first time.

There was a year of separation that stood in between them. More than anything though, it was not simply time that separated them. It was _their own_ decision to part.

'_Yes. Ours. Both him and I decided that.' _She thought to herself, trying to justify her past action. _'This was the only way I can set him free.' _

The longer they stared at each other, the more Yuuki's heart throbbed longingly. It pained her to see him looking at her with those eyes yet she didn't want to break the eye contact. That was the only connection she had left with him. Even if he stared at her with such coldness, his mind filled with hatred and wish to kill her, she didn't want to look away. She held desperately to that only way she could communicate with him. It hurt to have him look at her that way but at the same time her heart flooded with warmness at the fact that she was able to see him.

'_I can see him alive and well.' _That thought alone was enough reason for her to endure the pain stabbing her heart.

She thought she could bear the pain but she noticed Zero's eyes started to differ. He wasn't looking at her anymore. He was still physically looking at her yet he wasn't looking at _her_. He didn't see _Yuuki _anymore. What he saw was Kaname's sister, a vampire pureblood princess.

That crushed her heart immensely and unbearably. Realizing the unfortunate truth, she forced herself to accept that it was only her that desperately clung to any connection remaining between them.

'_He's finally free from me.' _

The relief she expected she would feel though never came. Instead, she felt all the more lost and lonely. She bowed her head a bit and turned around, breaking contact from him. It was impossible after all.

She would never admit it out loud but she knew deep inside, she had secretly hoped that Zero and her would at least speak a bit during this ball. She knew it was very close to impossible yet she still hoped a bit. She couldn't help but hope for something she knew her heart wanted so bad.

This time though, she woke up to the harsh reality of their situation—the truth of their relationship.

She and he had nothing to return to anymore. They were never lovers, they were not best friends anymore, they were not guardians anymore, they didn't have anything between them at all—nothing but distance, separation and the sad truth that they were no longer connected at all.

'_I guess this is truly our end—our final farewell.' _She thought resignedly.

All of a sudden she noticed the change of tone in the orchestra as they changed to a new song. To her, the violins seemed to be playing an ode to her loneliness. It was as if the violins were crying in her stead.

She wouldn't cry tonight. No matter how much she wanted to, she wouldn't show her weakness to these people. No matter how much she didn't want to participate in this pretentious event, she wouldn't run away and hide.

She wanted nothing to do with this masquerade but she knew that she had to do her obligation together with Kaname. She had promised and wanted to stand by her brother to help him in any way that she could. She vowed to herself that she would support him.

Donning her majestic mask and playing the role expected of her, she would force herself to forget her heart's true feelings. She wouldn't show how hurt she was or how much she was crying deep inside.

'_Nobody would know—not even Kaname.'_

She smiled elegantly and looked at the crowd. "I am Yuuki. It is my pleasure to be meeting all of you tonight."

'_Nobody would be able to strip off my mask. No one.' _

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A/N: Next chapter is entitled, _"His Thoughts of Her"_. Obviously, that will be Zero's POV when he first sees Yuuki. Their reunion was just so emotional despite the silence that I was compelled to write my own version of it. This one will also cover chapter 54 so please look forward to how I will unravel the story~


	2. His Thoughts of Her

A/N: I'm glad that a lot of people took interest and read the first chapter. If you have read most of my works, you would notice that it is unlikely for me to write a chapter _that_ short. In this case though, it is necessary to have the chapter short to emphasize that Zero and Yuuki's first encounter at the ball was _that _short. It was just mere seconds of silence shared between them amidst the buzzing crowd of vampire aristocrats. Nobody pointed out the length actually but I just wanted to point it out as well for deeper appreciation of the said chapter. =)

Here is another short installment of the said first encounter between the two, told in Zero's perspective. I somehow wanted to use a first person viewpoint honestly but since I have never tried it before, I am not going to try it on this one (because I might ruin it). I hope the story told in a third person view point doesn't lessen the impact for my readers though.

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Disclaimer: The story and characters of Vampire Knight are not owned by me. I am not doing this to earn any profit whatsoever except to give enjoyment to the ever growing, loyal fandom.

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**Chapter 2**

_**His Thoughts of Her**_

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"Thanks for your patience, you can come out now." Kaito called out to who was inside the huge suitcase that was recently wheeled to them.

Zero's eyes immediately widened at the sight of light brown hair that peeked out of the luggage. The scent of a human drifted in the air the moment she came out. _'What the—' _He instantly grasped Kaito by his collar, demanding him an explanation for bringing Yori there. "Hey, Kaito! What's the—?!"

"Relax, I can protect a single human no problem." Kaito didn't have the slightest reaction to Zero's rough behavior when he grabbed his collar. "How about you also watch over her?" He was starting to enjoy the turn of events now.

Zero lowered his hold on him while he glared at him but he still didn't quite release him yet. Just when he thought the night couldn't be any worse. _'Why did Wakaba agree to go here?' _Zero asked to himself but he knew the answer to it—definitely knew the answer. He didn't want to think about it though.

"All right, Wakaba-kun, you can go now and look for that friend of yours." Zero heard Kaito give Yori the permission to search for _her. _"But you have to stay where I can see you." To Zero, it was like telling a rabbit to enter a cage filled with hungry lions and promising that she would perfectly be fine.

"Yes." Her answer was clear and resolute. Zero couldn't see any fear reflected in her eyes. _''Why do you go this far, Wakaba?' _He couldn't understand how a human like her could still stay so attached to a vampire who had disappeared for a year. _'Yes... I don't understand at all.' _In his heart though, he swore he had heard someone who just called him a liar but he ignored that voice.

He kept his mind busy with other stuff rather than dwell in that subject that he had labeled as forbidden. His heart always seemed to linger on the topic but he always forced himself to forget or else he might remember _her_. His eyes were now following every move Yori made. Her head turning left and then right, searching for that familiar figure she was searching for. Her light blue dress was perfectly blending in with the sea of colors of the crowd wearing tuxedos and evening gowns yet Zero thought she stuck out like a sore thumb. It was proof that she was human and those people were not. The way her dress was exposing her pale neck temptingly was not helping either. It totally attracted their attention all the more. _'Does she really understand how dangerous this is for her?' _He thought, slightly feeling annoyed and silently cursing the girl's loyalty and sense of friendship.

"And now we have a little lamb joining our party." Kaito still didn't care that Zero was still holding him by his collar. He was far more interested with the reactions the aristocrat vampires were giving as Yori slowly moved around the crowd to look for her petite best friend.

Zero knew that his threatening would not help the situation anymore so he finally released Kaito with a disgruntled sigh. _'It looks like I have to baby-sit this guy as well tonight... We have to prioritize Wakaba's safety too.' _He kept his pale purple eyes on Yori's figure. She was such a small form compared to the vampires that seemed to tower over her. One more reason that made her look vulnerable in Zero's opinion. She was so tiny yet her presence seemed to alert everyone in the party, walking through the crowd quietly but still conspicuously. Even Zero could distinguish her scent from the others with his eyes closed no problem at all, that was how susceptible she was as a human in this flock of beasts.

Two vampires tried to approach her and offered her a drink. He was about to go to Yori's aid but she had already quickly yet politely turned them down, already continuing her momentarily delayed search. The two bloodsuckers noticed that Zero was looking out for her so they didn't pursue her further. _'I guess she deserves more credit than I give her. Her determination is definitely amazing.' _He thought, acknowledging Yori's courage. _'Maybe a rabbit in a lion's cage isn't quite right...' _

"Take a look, Zero... Those bloodsuckers' eyes instantly change color the moment she passes by them—" Kaito said with high interest, his eyes also closely guarding Yori.

Zero looked at him from the corner of his eyes for a moment then returned his gaze on Yori. He didn't need him to tell him that. "Kaito..." He cut him off, a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "What course do you teach again?" He asked him, as if reminding him of his current role.

"Ethics, why—?"

'_This guy is really a pain.' _Zero concluded without a doubt, his mauve eyes sharpened for a second when a vampire had almost bumped Yori but safely avoided her. "If by any chance, one of those vampires even tries to make a move that might hurt Wakaba..."

He wasn't just making an empty threat at all. Even Kaito could tell that. "That gives you the _perfect legal reason_ right there." He told Zero with no trace of jest in his tone. "For you to kill _that _vampire."

As if on cue with Kaito's words, Zero sensed her before he even saw her. Even though it was already a year and he kept on telling himself to forget everything about her, she was still a familiar scent—he could still tell her from others in just a split-second's time.

The red curtains opened and revealed the main couple of the evening. It was _her_—together with him.

Zero remained where he was, at the back of the crowd, looking at what everyone was looking at. It was a year since they last saw each other but to him it felt longer than that. He was finally seeing her but he couldn't feel anything. Was he supposed to be happy? He examined his heart but his heart seemed frozen, not able to feel anything at all. It probably went numb from the constant pain he felt for a year. He simply looked at her, taking in her looks. She looked the same as before but also different. She still had the same length of hair, the same length the day she awakened as a pureblood. Her face didn't look like she aged a year's worth. _'Of course, she is a vampire.' _He thought, finding it funny that he had to remind himself over and over again what she was. His heart was stupid for still keeping memories of her as a human. Maybe that was why he thought she was somehow different. He was unconsciously comparing her to how she was before when she was still human. She now reflected the aura of a pureblood—a majestic, graceful and respected vampire to all other vampires.

That night, he realized _once more_ that she was someone who was meant to be beside Kuran Kaname.

It was faint but he felt a familiar pang in his heart. _'I guess I still haven't completely gone numb from everything.' _He mentally laughed sardonically at himself. He still felt something and that was a big failure for him. One year had gone by yet he still couldn't achieve one of his goals. He thought he was going to finish that goal with the help of time but he only suffered. He felt pain but all of his feelings remained intact. He never forgot anything. That one goal of his remained half-finished.

He was able to make her move forward.

But he was still stuck where he was. He wasn't able to move forward at all.

He only pretended that he was moving forward. All of it was just a big act that he couldn't turn into the real deal.

Just this one instance, he would stop pretending and allow himself to think about her. Just this once he would be honest—at least, to himself.

To him, she still looked breathtaking and simply beautiful—warm despite the royal-like exterior. He still thought she was a wonderful person despite her pureblood status. He still believed and trusted her—that would probably never change. He still saw her as a precious person who had always stood beside him. He still thought of her even though he forced himself to forget her—he simply couldn't forget about her. He still missed the times they would patrol together during nighttime, even if he lost sleep over it. He still found it funny how she loved to act like a big sister to him when she was so short and he was actually older than her. He still remembered how she always hated being tutored by him because he would always tease her for being stupid. He still remembered the way her lips tasted when he forced a kiss on her before they parted ways. He still missed her. He still longed for her. He still wanted her.

She was still his _everything_.

His eyes gazed intensely at her, but he didn't allow any emotion to show on his face. He just simply looked at her and let his thoughts express what he really felt. He watched silently as Kaname bent down to whisper something to Yuuki's ear. His heart gave another painful twitch at the sight of Yuuki's tiny smile but his face remained cold and apathetic. His lips remained a straight line while his eyes took in her momentary gentle smile.

'_I still love you.'_

As if Yuuki heard his silent confession, Zero saw her head turn towards his direction. Her eyes were no doubt looking at him—studying his demeanor.

But he wouldn't allow her a peek in his heart. He kept his face void of emotions but he held her gaze. With the slightest tilt of his head, he just stared at her icily, carefully fixing his mask to completely cover his heart. He didn't care if anyone saw through his pretense—anyone but her, he could deal with. As long as she didn't see how much he still—

He stopped his thoughts all together, afraid that his thoughts would be mirrored in his eyes. He could see and feel Yuuki's eyes on him, searching him. He didn't quite get what she was looking for in him but he wasn't going to give her anything.

He had already accomplished half of his goal. He didn't want to ruin what he had accomplished so far. He wouldn't do anything to hold her back again. He would keep pushing her farther away. He wouldn't make her do any more sacrifices just to help him. He wouldn't let her hesitate anymore.

All he wanted was her—that was the truth. But more than that, he would prefer to give her happiness. Even if it wasn't with him, he would still be contented. Because she was everything to him, he wanted to give her everything that he could. He knew his love was not something she would ever want so instead of love he would give her freedom—so that she could love freely and be happy with someone else.

He had endured the pain for that purpose. He didn't mind playing the part of the bad guy for her. He had hurt her and he had hurt himself badly deep inside but he hadn't and _wouldn't _let her see that—_never ever_. He had already lied and pretended up until now without any complaints. Tonight, would be the same. He would act and no one would notice he was acting.

Especially not her.

'_It should only be me who should suffer. It should only be me who remains attached to you. You should just remain free from me.' _He thought, as if mentally bidding her another farewell through his eyes.

He didn't know if it was his imagination but he thought he saw hurt momentarily show in her bright reddish brown eyes. He didn't falter though—he _shouldn't_ falter. He vowed that his mask would stay in place the whole night until this ball was through. He continued to look at her with the same expression of indifference still on his face.

'_Please don't see through me.' _

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A/N: Next chapter will be covering events in Chapter 54, mainly focusing on Zero still because this chapter didn't cover anything at all of Chapter 54 on Zero's side. I just noticed I included Yuuki on Chapter 54 already last chapter so I will do Zero's turn next chapter. This was totally intense! I was totally shipping Zero x Yori when I started the first page but that was immediately blown away by how intense Zero's feelings were for Yuuki when he finally saw her. X3 If Yuuki had heard all of Zero's thoughts, I wouldn't blame her if she cried and then jumped to his arms. ;.;


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